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Summer Movie Preview
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MAY 16
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN MAY 22
INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL SON OF RAMBOW MAY 30
SEX AND THE CITY: THE MOVIE JUNE 6
KUNG FU PANDA YOU DON'T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN JUNE 13
THE INCREDIBLE HULK THE HAPPENING JUNE 20
GET SMART THE LOVE GURU JUNE 27
WALL-E WANTED JULY 2
HANCOCK JULY 11
HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH MEET DAVE JULY 18
THE DARK KNIGHT MAMMA MIA JULY 25
STEP BROTHERS THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE AUGUST 1
THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR SWING VOTE AUGUST 8
PINEAPPLE EXPRESS THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS 2 AUGUST 15
TROPIC THUNDER STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS AUGUST 22
HAMLET 2 CROSSING OVER AUGUST 29
TRAITOR
As the warm rays of the summer sun approach it will soon be time to head to the air-conditioned comfort of your local multiplex and enjoy some of the most anticipated films of the year. With last week's opening of "Iron Man" officially kicking off the season with an incredible $100 million weekend and "Speed Racer" zooming on screen this week, it's time to take a look at what Hollywood has to offer from now until September. As usual, opening dates are subject to change at the whim of the studios. Some synopsis information courtesy of the Internet Movie Data Base. Let's get started, shall we?
Following the huge (almost $300 million at the box office) success of the first adaptation of C.S. Lewis' "Narnia" books, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," the good people at Disney are going back to the well again. This time the story finds the Pevensie children returning to Narnia only to discover that centuries have past since their last visit.
The summer's 800-pound gorilla. Nineteen years since he and his dad found the Holy Grail, our favorite archeologist battling the evil Russians (this is 1957) in a search for a legendary artifact with supernatural powers. Steven Spielberg directs and Harrison Ford returns along with original "Raiders of the Lost Ark" co-star Karen Allen and newcomer to the series Shia LaBoeuf.
The crowd favorite at the Sundance Film Festival, the film tells the story of a young man whose parents refuse to let him watch television or attend a film. When he views a bootleg copy of "First Blood," he enlists his school chums to make their own sequel.
If you still have a hankering to spend time with Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha, then this is the movie for you. Picking up four years after the HBO series ended, the girls are entering their 40s and hoping to settle down. Plot lines have been kept secret but we do know that Chris Noth returns as Mr. Big.
Jack Black leads a parade of famous voices in this animated tale of a panda who must train so he can defend his jungle. Dustin Hoffman, Ian McShane, Angelina Jolie and Michael Clarke Duncan are part of the vocal cast.
If it's summer it must be time for an Adam Sandler comedy. Here we find Sandler as a MOSAD agent who fakes his death and relocates to the Big Apple, where he starts over as a hairstylist. Maria Carey co-stars and, since this IS an Adam Sandler, I wouldn't be surprised to see Rob Schneider drop by.
Edward Norton steps into Eric Bana's green skin as Bruce Banner, a nice guy until you get him angry. And you wouldn't like him when he's angry. Liv Tyler, Tim Roth and William Hurt co-star. Look for Robert Downey, Jr, as "Iron Man's" Tony Stark in a cameo.
Like Michael Jackson after "Thriller," "The Sixth Sense" creator M. Night Shyamalan has tried hard to live up to his reputation. Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel star in the latest from the Philadelphia based film maker. After dealing with dead people, super heroes and ladies in the water, it's always a surprise to see what Shyamalan has up his sleeve..
Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway step into the telephone shoes of the past as agents 86 and 99 of CONTROL, more than 40 years after Mel Brooks and Buck Henry created them. With Dwayne (Don't Call Him the Rock) Johnson as a fellow agent and Oscar winner Alan Arkin as the Chief.
Mike Myers hasn't made a film that didn't have the word "Shrek" in the title in five years. Here, Myers stars as American-born and India-trained Guru Pitka, whose appearances draw the interest of others, including Jessica Alba and Justin Timberlake.
From Pixar and Disney, the folks that brought you "Toy Story," "Monsters Inc." and "The Incredibles" among others, the film centers around a waste disposal unit who was left behind when people abandoned the Earth. 700 years later, another robot is sent to the planet to see if it is inhabitable.
Angelina Jolie stars as an assassin who recruits James McAvoy into her organization. Among McAvoy's skills - an ability to "bend" bullets in flight around stationary objects. Terence Stamp and Morgan Freeman co-star.
An anti-social alcoholic superhero must hire a publicist to improve his public image. Seeing as Will Smith plays the title character and that he has pretty much owned the 4th of July weekend since the days of "Independence Day" and the "Men In Black" films, this should prove to be one of the season's biggest hits.
Ron Perlman returns as the red-skinned, cigar smoking demon in this sequel directed by fanboy favorite Guilermo del Toro. Selma Blair co-stars as Hellboy's pyrokinetic girlfriend, Liz.
The first of two Brendan Fraser movies this summer. Here Fraser stars as a scientist who uses his brother's old copy of Jules Verne's "Journey to the Center of the Earth" to find the earth's core. Not excited? What if I tell you the whole movie is in 3-D? Boy those dinosaurs look real!
Eddie Murphy stars as a tiny alien from the planet Nill who visits Earth in a spaceship that looks just like...Eddie Murphy. I wonder if Murphy get's multiple checks when he plays multiple roles.
After the success of "Batman Begins," the hardest film to promote this summer really needs no promotion at all. The continuing adventures of the Caped Crusader find he and Gotham City's finest battling a mad genius who calls himself the Joker. Almost since the day of his passing, Heath Ledger's performance has been praised as Oscar worthy. Maggie Gyllenhaal replaces Katie Holmes as Bruce Wayne's girl while Aaron Eckhart becomes the third person (following Billy Dee Williams and Tommy Lee Jones) since the late 1980s to play District Attorney Harvey Dent, better known to comic fans as Two Face.
Meryl Streep stars in the film version of the long-running musical, set to the music of ABBA. A young girl about to be married wants her father to walk her down the aisle. Problem is there are three possible pops. Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard are the three prospective fathers of the bride.
"Talladega Nights" co-stars Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly reunite for this comedy about two adult men who become step-brothers after their parents get married.
It's been 10 years since FBI agents Mulder and Scully hit theatres but this summer David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson return to explore the unknown.
Brendan Fraser again, this time returning in China as he investigates the mummy of a Chinese emperor, played by Jet Li. Making this a family adventure, Fraser's character is joined by his now teenage son.
Ever been told that every vote counts? Well here it does when the presidential election comes down to the vote of one person, played by Kevin Costner. Kelsey Grammar and Dennis Hopper play the respective candidates.
Judd Apatow ("Knocked Up") wrote this comedy about a pot dealer and his unlucky customer who witness a mob hit and must now elude the killer. James Franco and Seth Rogen star for director David Gordon Green.
More young women share a pair of magical pants that not only fit them perfectly but affect their lives. Seriously.
A group of spoiled actors making a war film are unknowingly dropped into the jungle where they are mistaken for real soldiers. Ben Stiller directs and co-stars with Jack Black and Robert Downey, Jr, who plays the teams African American sergeant. As with any Stiller film, cameos abound, including an unrecognizable Tom Cruise.
Remember the part in "Star Wars" when Luke Skywalker asks Obi Wan Kenobi if he had fought in the Clone Wars? Well apparently he did, as we find out in this animated feature that takes place between the events of Episodes 2 and 3.
Another popular entry at Sundance, the film stars Steve Coogan as a high school drama teacher who creates his own musical sequel to Shakespeare's masterpiece. I hope it's as funny as William Shatner's musical version of "Julius Cesar" in "Free Enterprise."
Like Oscar winning films "Traffic" and "Crash," the lives of various characters interact in this drama about illegal immigration in Los Angeles. Ray Liotta, Harrison Ford and Sean Penn are part of the ensemble cast.
Based on a story by Steve Martin...yes, THAT Steve Martin...a Muslim CIA agent infiltrates a terrorist group with mixed consequences. Jeff Daniels and Guy Pearce also star.
The Summer Movies Preview 2008 movie guide is ©2008 by Michael A. Smith. All graphics this page are creations of Nolan B. Canova, ©2008, all rights reserved. All contents of "Nolan's Pop Culture Review" are ©2008 by Nolan B. Canova.
